 On 23 May 2012, Larijani was put into the sanction list of the European Union, which was published in the Official Journal of the Union.In the journal, it was stated that as head of the judiciary in Iran, he endorsed and allowed harsh punishments for retribution crimes, crimes against God, and crimes against the state.In January 2018, the United States sanctioned Larijani for human rights abuses, which Iran strongly denied.